[Ailist] [NCDD-UPDATES] dialogue & deliberation news and opportunities

[Sandy Heierbacher]

October 2007 Update from T H A T A W A Y. O R G  -  Home of the National
Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
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Hi, everyone!

1.  Write an Op-Ed on John Edwards' One Democracy Initiative!

For this update, I want to spotlight something that could have a major
impact on our field.

This past Saturday, Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards gave a
speech in which he called for the creation of "Citizen Congresses" that
would regularly convene one million Americans in national deliberations on
critical policy issues. These congresses are part of his One Democracy
Initiative (www.johnedwards.com/issues/govt-reform/), which references
AmericaSpeaks' and Study Circles' work, as well as Deliberation Day and the
newly-formed November 5th Coalition.

AmericaSpeaks' Joe Goldman was contacted by the Edwards campaign about this
before the fact, and Joe gave me and a number of other leaders in the field
a heads-up on the speech. Joe encouraged us to submit letters to the editors
of our local papers, not to support Edwards or his specific public
engagement plan, but to raise awareness of the importance of public
engagement and the fact that it is already happening across the country -
AND to encourage the other candidates to go beyond rhetoric and propose
their own concrete solutions for bringing the public back into politics.

I strongly encourage all of you (at least those based in the U.S.) to
consider submitting op-eds to your local papers as soon as possible! A
number of great op-eds have already been submitted to papers across the
country, and I'm doing my best to keep track of them all at
www.thataway.org/?page_id=1034. You'll also find tips for submitting op-eds,
sample editorials, blog posts, and details on the speech on this page.

This is a great opportunity for people in the D&D community to join forces
to raise awareness about the need to for the public to have a greater voice
in the governance process. As a community, we need to figure out how to
respond quickly and collectively when things happen that can raise awareness
of D&D - whether they be crises, conflicts or high-level PR opportunities
like this one. Perhaps this effort can set a precedent for us to accomplish
this.

Please let me know if you plan to write an op-ed!


2.  Discounts on Top-Notch Trainings for Paid NCDD Members

NCDD members who pay the full membership fee can take advantage of
discounted rates for the following trainings offered by our partners. Go to
http://thataway.org/index.php/?page_id=785 for more details on these and
other discounted trainings (including how to register). Or to
www.thataway.org/members for instructions on joining as a paid member (only
$50/year for individuals or $100/year for organizations - and you still get
a free copy of The Change Handbook when you join!).


a.  Master Class in Large Group Design and Facilitation for Leaders and
Consultants (October 24-26, 2007 in Stowe, Vermont)

Large group methods, virtually unknown twenty years ago, are being used
worldwide to address complex organizational and community issues. The goal
of this three-day course, "The Collaboration Imperative," facilitated by
Nancy Aronson, Ph.D and Gilbert Steil Jr., is to share with you the magic of
whole systems work, and equip you with the tools to design your own large
group meetings whether they involve 30 people or several thousand. NCDD
members receive a 15% discount. The fee for the seminar is $1490 ($1267 for
NCDD members).

b.  Dialogue and Field Dynamics: Connecting the Visible with the Invisible
(November 1-4, 2007 at the Nature Center in Florissant, Colorado)

This three day intensive is a time for personal retreat and reflection, as
well as group dialogue and inquiry. Designed to draw forth a deeper
experience of ourselves and our connection to Life/Spirit/Source, we will
directly explore the way that spirituality becomes practicality in everyday
living. Serving as both guides and learners, Peri Chickering (Senior
Consultant for Dialogos), Andrew Shier (Master Attunement Teacher), and Paul
Alexander (Director of the Institute on the Common Good and NCDD Board
Member), will provide the overall facilitation for the experience. Tuition
is $500 plus room and board at the Nature Center in Florissant, Colorado.
NCDD members receive a generous 20% tuition discount.

c.  Leadership Strategies' The Effective Facilitator Course (4-day courses
are offered November 6-9 in Denver; November 12-15 in Atlanta; December
10-13 in Washington DC and December 10-13 in Chicago. 3-day streamlined
courses are offered October 29-31 in Atlanta and December 10-12 in Sydney,
Australia)

Learn the techniques our facilitators use to achieve amazing results through
groups! How do you get groups to develop workable, realistic solutions? Our
flagship course delivers the tools and techniques you can use immediately!
We show you how to motivate a group, build consensus, manage dysfunction,
maintain focus, generate ownership and inspire to action. Directed by
Michael Wilkinson, Leadership Strategies, Inc. is well-known for their
high-quality facilitation trainings and certificate program. NCDD members
receive a 10% discount on all public or private classes. Public 4-day
classes are $1895 ($1705.50 for paid NCDD members). 3-day training courses
are $1495 ($1345.50 for NCDD members).

d.  Dialogue Partners' The Deciding Factor: How to make high quality
decisions (November 7-8 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

Decision-making is a daily challenge for people in organizations of all
kinds. Whether in government, business or the non-profit world, important
decisions are often made with very little understanding of how and why
choices are made. The process of reaching a decision and the factors
influencing the outcome can seem mysterious. What is true, however, is that
the information needed to make good decisions is widely held by individuals
both within and outside the organization. This course will help managers and
other leaders understand the deep dynamics of decision-making and give them
the tools and skills to approach decision-making in a new way. Registration
for this training, which is delivered in partnership with the International
Institute for Facilitation and Consensus, is $750 (paid NCDD members receive
a 15% discount).

Note: Check the NCDD site for other discounted trainings offered by Dialogue
Partners - including the Calming Conflict and Controversy in Public
Involvement Course, the Group Facilitation Skills for Public Involvement
Course, and the Managing Public Consultations in Government Course.

e.  PCP's Everyday Dialogue Workshop (November 8 in Watertown,
Massachusetts)

For years, people have asked our friends at the Public Conversation Project
"How can we talk about challenging, awkward or divisive issues with
children, partners, colleagues and friends?" This new workshop applies PCP's
approach to our long-term relationships with the people in our lives.
$125-$250 sliding scale (paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount).

Note: check the NCDD site for other discounted trainings offered by PCP,
including their wonderful Inquiry as Intervention and Power of Dialogue
workshops.

f.  Leadership for the Common Good: The Dance of Partnership (November 8-9
in Denver, Colorado)

Future Shapes(r) is an Omega Point method that has been successfully
implemented in numerous non-profit and government agencies. At this
gathering, you will experience a dynamic, interactive learning environment
providing you with new skills for embracing change effectively. Only this
ability enables moving into the future with confidence. Registration is
$300, but paid NCDD members receive a 15% discount.

g.  IAP2 Certificate Course in Public Participation (December 3-7 in
Alexandria, Virginia)

The Perspectives Group is one of the nation's leading firms in the
application of public participation programs, and trainer Doug Sarno
regularly offers the 5-day IAP2 Certificate Course in Public Participation.
The certificate program consists of a series of three courses over five
days. These courses allow public participation professionals to master the
basics of how to design and deliver a public participation program and
enhance their existing skills. Upon completion of all courses, students will
be awarded a Certificate in Public Participation from IAP2. NCDD members are
eligible for a 15% discount on these registration rates ($1339 instead of
$1575 total for all three courses).

h.  The Center for Wise Democracy's Dynamic Facilitation Training (December
4-7 in Frankfurt, Germany)

Dynamic Facilitation is an energy-based way of facilitating where people
address difficult issues creatively and collaboratively, achieving
breakthrough results. It creates a process of talking and thinking that
builds mutual respect, trust and the sense of community. Dynamic
facilitation is used to facilitate Wisdom Councils - randomly-selected,
facilitated 'juries' which engage in dialogue about the larger system and
arrive at creative consensus on shared visions. NCDD members receive a 20%
discount on DF trainings which, for nonprofits, are regularly $795 for 3-day
trainings and $995 for 4-day trainings.

i.  Harwood Public Innovators Lab (February 5-8, 2008 in Austin, Texas)

The Harwood Public Innovators Lab is an intensive, four day experience that
will help you create new pathways to accelerate change and engender
authentic hope in your communities - finding ways to get past the negative
conditions in public life that stand in the way of progress. During the Lab
you will examine how you can see, think about, and engage in your work from
three important perspectives - how you engage communities; how you think
about your organization's role in change; and what you need to do as an
individual to be effective and stay true to your own values. Registration is
$995 ($895.50 for paid NCDD members).

j.  Essentials of Dialogues with The Dialogue Group and The Enterprise Group
(February 9-13, 2008 in Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Glenna Gerard and Elizabeth Fadell invite you to join them for this unique
program, in which you will integrate the skills and guidelines necessary to
create and maintain a practice of meaningful Dialogue in your life and work.
We will engage you in an in-depth experience where you will learn how
Dialogue functions to build trust, deepen capacity for authentic and
powerful conversation, and enhance wholeness and coherence within the life
and world systems you inhabit. Tuition is $1,500 for non-profits, government
organizations and individual consultants ($1,700 for others). Those who
register before November 30, 2007 receive a $200 discount, and paid NCDD
members receive a 15% discount whether they register before or after
November 30th.

k.  College of DuPage Public Policy Institute (PPI) - NIF Moderator Training
(March 24-25, 2008 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois)

The PPI is in agreement with the core NIF (National Issues Forum) belief
that for democracy to fulfill its promise, citizens must take responsibility
and work together toward the implementation of democratic ideals. This
moderator training teaches individuals how to lead or convene deliberative
forums in their communities or organizations. The College of DuPage PPI
generally charges $100 for 2-day moderator trainings and $200 for 2 1/2 day
issue framing trainings. NCDD members receive a 20% discount off of these
trainings.

l.  Advanced Dialogue Facilitation Program with The Dialogue Group and The
Enterprise Group (Late April, 2008 - Santa Fe, New Mexico)

Glenna Gerard and Elizabeth Fadell invite you to join them for this program,
which is designed to expand and stretch your foundation and practical
knowledge to convene, design and facilitate Dialogue conversations in a
variety of settings. You are invited into a learning community of
practitioners to share experiences, explore questions and experiment with
frameworks and practices that Glenna and Elizabeth have developed over the
past 17+ years of Dialogue practice. Tuition is $4,100 for non-profits,
government organizations and individual consultants ($5,500 for others).
Those who register before February 15, 2008 receive a 10% discount, and paid
NCDD members receive a 15% discount whether they register before or after
February 15th.


3. Headlines from the News & Perspectives Blog

Here are just a few of the blog posts that have gone up since our last
update, just to make you wonder "Gee - why am I not visiting the NCDD
website more regularly?!" Go to www.thataway.org to read the full posts, and
email me at sandy at thataway.org with announcements for the blog.

- Unity08 Launches "Have you seen My Country?" Campaign
- Journal Addresses Organizational Change & Sustainable Development
- YouTube Launches NonProfit Channel
- Wise Democracy Forum Meets Nov. 17 in Oakland, CA
- IUPUI Seeks Director of Center for Teaching and Learning
- Art of Hosting Training Set for November
- Join a National Conversation about Energy
- Announcing the "Democracy 2.0 Declaration"
- Announcing Current TV's Video Opinion Wall - and Your Chance to Get
Involved!
- C2D2 Early Bird Registration Ends Sept. 30
- SCRC Launches DemocracySpace.org Blog
- UNDP Seeking Democratic Governance Research Analyst
- MacArthur Foundation Announces New Digital Media and Learning Competition
- Skoll Foundation Announces New Guidelines for Social Entrepreneurship
Awards
- "Engaging the Other" Conference Coming Up in Michigan
- Join an Online Dialogue on Women and Political Participation in Africa
- Center For Dialogue Seeks Director of Mediation Services

Best,
Sandy

Sandy Heierbacher
Director, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD)

Web: www.thataway.org

Email: sandy at thataway.org

--

The "dialogue and deliberation community" is a loose-knit community of
practitioners, researchers, activists, artists, students, and others who are
committed to giving people a voice and making sure that voice counts. NCDD
provides the infrastructure needed in this community so we can work together
to increase both our individual and our collective impact.

To unsubscribe from this monthly update message on news and opportunities
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